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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · mouse · lie · stand · tear · pop · cue · press

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. pop — to visit
  3. press — to push
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. capital — money
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — a signal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. capital — a city
  16. pop — music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pop — soda
  21. lie — to recline
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stand — to bear
  24. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com